


Everyone Has a Story

by Jaubes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi, NejiTen - Freeform, Slice of Life, Team Gai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5908333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaubes/pseuds/Jaubes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>: Everyone has a story- that much is true. From the moment Tenten laid eyes on her teammates, she knew they were softies. It was only a matter of time until they all cracked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of Misconceptions

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: In this story, I depicted Tenten as an immigrant, really taking into perspective of her not knowing Japanese, and her trying her best to assimilate, or get accustomed to Japanese Culture. I wanted to to depict her as a girl from another country based on the fact that she has little to no background in the anime/manga, and that her character design is of Chinese culture.
> 
> Also i'd like to add that the rating may go up as I progress with the story later on.
> 
> If you guys have anything you'd like to input, feel free to leave comments in the reviews!  
> I'm open to your opinions and possible concerns (if any) in order to grow as a writer!
> 
> So without further Adieu, let's go! Enjoy!

**Chapter One: The Beginning of Misconceptions  
By: Jaubes**

Lee was the obvious one. From the Academy days, he was bullied because he was different. Thick eye brows that stood out like bold print on newspapers, a speech pattern foreign to the village, and the fact that he attended the Ninja Academy and he couldn't perform any Ninjutsu was the most apparent of all. Tenten didn't have to speak fluent Japanese to understand that Lee didn't belong- but she didn't bully him about it.

Now, the Hyuuga was a different story. Tenten couldn't read him right off the bat, but she felt that he was hiding something. She wasn't swayed by how much of a genius he was (at least that's what she told herself), and she didn't swoon over his good looks. Even if he didn't talk much at all, only to give passive aggressive comebacks or beat someone up in the schoolyard- Tenten knew better than to take him too seriously. But if given the chance, she would have loved to knock him off his high horse, then again, she wouldn't have known what she was getting into. Neji was lost, and Lee was a troubled kid. Becoming involved with the two of them would be bad news for her.

So while Neji showed off his skills, and Lee tried showing off when he could- Tenten kept to herself. She didn't attract too much attention, studied on her own while helping out in her mom's shop, and eventually she graduated. The one thing she didn't think would happen was that she ended up placed on the same team of kids she tried to avoid.

* * *

Neji or Lee didn't even bat an eyelash at her presence. Instead Neji occupied himself loathing over his "fate" in the far right, and Lee was sitting on her right side, all antsy. Lee already seemed acquainted with their instructor. If Tenten didn't know any better, she would assume that the man in green spandex was Lee's relative.

"Yosh! As of today, you are all Genin, so tell me…why have you done it? What are your goals?" For a while, the air was thick, and the humidity of the Fire country wasn't helping. Tenten bounced her gaze between her new teammates, and her mentor. Gai mainly focused his attention to Lee, not really noticing her or Neji. Lee bit his lip nervously, not sure how he should respond just yet. Neji on the other hand was keeping his composure aloof with one arm propped up on the railing of the balcony Gai assembled them too.

Tenten felt she had to break the ice, so mustering up the courage she had- she decided to speak. "Oh pick me sensei!" Tenten hoped with all the Japanese she took in the short few months that her team would understand her clearly. She guessed they did when all eyes drifted towards her. Gai's eyes gently focused on her, a smile of approval from hearing her enthusiasm. "Yes, Tenten" The girl cringed slightly at her name pronunciation, but decided to ignore that detail and answer his foreboding question. "I.." Tenten started, trying to remember how to put together the proper conjugations while motioning with her hands what she wanted to say, "Want to…become the Tsunami" She tried. Gai winced at her statement while Lee and Neji tried their best not to give themselves away. At that moment, it was apparent to all of them that Tenten was unique. "You want to become a Tsunami?"

"I would also like to become a Tsunami" Neji spat back rhetorically, while Lee tried his best not to chuckle. Tenten's eyes teared up a bit, hearing the reaction of her team caused her more embarrassment than how the green spandex on her Sensei's body looked. She didn't notice the frown on Gai's face.

Tenten shook her head, her cheeks burning by the second. "Nono…uh a lady Tsunami?" They still didn't understand her. Tenten huffed, motioning more with her hands, particularly shaping breasts as she tried to get her point across. Tenten was not happy playing charades on her first outing with her new team, as they continued to chastise her.  
It took a moment though when Gai pieced together what his student was trying to say, "oh, OH! You want to become like Lady Tsunade?" Tenten nodded vigorously, "Hai, Hai!" and then flexed the little muscle she had, "She very strong!"

Gai chuckled, he liked her enthusiasm. For someone whose not a native of Konoha, he admired that she found someone to look up too. It's hard for a kid who recently moved to get acquainted with unfamiliar things, not to mention the jokes that kept stringing along. That much, he'll give her credit- but the Japanese, he'll see to it that he works with her on it.

Moving onto the next, Gai inquired about Neji's goals, but was shortly denied the satisfaction of bonding with the returned gesture of, "I'd rather not say." Tenten snorted, thinking he was overly dramatic. Gai kept a mental note- he'll have to be extremely careful around that one. A prodigy, an aristocrat, but most importantly- moody. Gai will make sure to come back to him.

Then came for lee, when he finally pieced together his speech, he struck his hand in the air and made his declaration, "I WANT TO BECOME A SPLENDID NINJA"

Little did anyone know at the time what that declaration would put the entire team through.

* * *

After the first couple of days, Tenten wondered if she was really cut out to become a Ninja. The Academy wasn't so bad since all they did was cover the basics- but this…this was too much. It was the first time Tenten heard such a thing of waking up at 3 am to run laps around a training field, with no breakfast on her stomach- heck her mom didn't wake up that early to run inventory in the storage room for the store they ran.

" _Tian-Tian_ " her mom whispered, cradling a baby boy in her arms as Tenten shuffled her shoes on lazily by the front door at the base of the stairs, " _Where are you going at this hour? It's half past 2, get your butt back to bed!_ " Her baby brother squirmed as her mother rubbed his back and hummed a little lullaby that was failing to calm him down.

" _Momma, I have training. I told you this the day before when I came home._ " Tenten grumpily replied, huffing as she fixed her shirt button that was about to pop off from lack of adhesive. " _I don't remember you telling me this, but I know I told you that you have to watch the shop today. I have to take Bo to the doctor this afternoon."_

Tenten chewed her lip. What was she going to do? " _But mom, I can't just not show up_." She knew arguing back and forth with her mother so early in the morning wasn't going to resolve anything. But it wasn't like Tenten to just take a scolding without having a good reason to be scolded Just as her mother was about to say something in retort, her baby brother began wailing from a terrible gas pain, followed by a gagging burp and a handful of vomit projected down the stairs, landing remarkably on Tenten's head. Her mom had an exasperated look on her face, sighing deeply as Tenten gawked at the mess her brother made. " _Clean up, and go to your training, I'll see you when you get home."_ On that note, her mom handed the baby to her older brother, whom woke up in the midst of the commotion. Saluting to her mother, she quickly made her way to get the mop from outside and cleaned up the stairs, then went back to the bathroom to redo her morning routine and finally made it out the door at a quarter to 4:00am.

* * *

She managed to arrive approximately 30 seconds after the meeting time. It's not that Tenten was strolling- She ran practically quarter way across town, and then caught a bus that took 10 minutes to arrive at the training field. Her mom preferred for them to live in a Chinese oriented neighborhood, and unfortunately, that was in the dense market area far from where her teammates lived. Neji lived the closest- being that his estate was only 1.5 miles away from their chosen spot. Lee lived 2 blocks away from his estate at his apartment complex, and then there was her-4 miles away from their designated spot.

Running towards where everyone already was, Tenten waved to them, dropping her bag by the tree stump where everyone else put their things, and bowed before Gai, "Good Morning".

Gai put his hands on his hips, "Drop and give me 50. You're late." Tenten blinked, as did Neji and Lee. "Go on, and same to both of you." That definitely caught their attention. Tenten opened her mouth to speak on her behalf, but was hushed by Gai, "Nope, don't want to hear it. And if you continue to argue with me, That'll be doubled to 100." Tenten swallowed her argument, took in a deep breath and dropped on her hands and feet.

Neji and Lee stood there watching her, but Gai cut them short, "I wasn't joking. Both of you, give me 50." Neji glared at his mentor, and lee did as he was told.

"NOW!" he barked at Neji. Neji shuffled his feet on the grass, and reluctantly dropped on his hands to join his team mate without a word, but continued to glare at their mentor.

Gai watched them struggle past the 35th push-up, and he began his speech. "What you're feeling now is just the beginning of everything that has to come. When I say 4 o'clock on the dot, I do not mean, 4:05, 4:03, 4:01, or even 4:00 and 30 seconds. As a ninja, timing is crucial and if you cannot comply to what has been set, how can you expect yourselves to complete a mission. Hell, how do you even expect to work together as a team when you guys can't even communicate well." That last statement, Tenten took personally.

Tenten panted. Sitting on her knees after she completed her 50th push-up, she stood up before Gai, "I am no Japanese. But I try. Why…" she paused, her hand motions stirring up the next words she tried to fix together, "Why blame me?" Gai blinked. Even with her broken Japanese, he felt a little disheartened. Neji sat crisscrossed on the plain, observing the scene between the two, after lee finished his set of 50 push-ups as well. This time they didn't find anything of what she is saying funny, in fact, it managed to strike a chord between them. The sun was just peaking over the Hokage Mountains when the first 20 minutes of their training started.

"I don't blame you entirely Tenten. But you cannot feel sorry for yourself. When I said communication is poor- I meant that as a team, you guys do not yet know how to rely on each other. Someone like you who is foreign to this village needs help, and I blame your teammates for not being considerate. "

It took a while longer for Tenten to digest what Gai said, and he spoke clearly on purpose so she can catch every word that he uttered. Neji sighed, shifting his weight on his left foot and stood impatiently, "Okay so what do you suggest we do? Teach her Japanese, perhaps take her on a tour around Konoha?"

"That is exactly what I expect you do to. As a team, we need to function in harmony. And with your attitude Hyuuga, how do you expect to become a Leader when you're constantly looking down on the others? A true leader leads by example, not disrespect his inferiors."

Neji opened his mouth, but closed it and reverted his eyes back to the ground. He guessed he was right- he has been acting out more lately, but he refused to admit it. His pearl eyes glanced over to his bun-haired teammate who focused her gaze on their instructor. He hadn't noticed earlier until now that there were various cuts on her forearm, healed- but there was a lot.

"Yosh!" Gai clapped his hands together once he felt that his trio had been knocked down a couple of pegs.

"Now that's been settled, how about some laps?"

Tenten and Neji simultaneously groaned while Lee kept his spirit up, "Hai Gai-Sensei!"  
And with that Gai set them off at their started point, then set off his timer. Without another word, they sped off into the forest.

* * *

After 8 laps around the forest, 45 sit-ups, and 50 lunges later, Team Gai was pooped. For the first day of training, they've done a lot. Starting from 4am, took a break for breakfast around 7am, then back to training at 8am, Gai did not call it a day until two in the afternoon. Gai let them know that tomorrow he's going to assess them to see what their weaknesses and strengths are through sparring, and that today was just a warm up. Tenten kept a mental note all the time she was out training to be back home by at least 4pm. Her mother was pissed off this morning about her new morning routine, not to mention Tenten never said when she would be back.

She's gonna be in a heap of trouble…

"Excuse me" Neji called, tapping her shoulder while she was in the middle of packing her bag to catch the bus home. When she zipped her belongings back in, she turned around to face the boy she's been avoiding since day one in the Academy.

"Hai?" Tenten watched as the afternoon sun rest almost near the horizon, giving Neij's ivory orbs a humble glow. She didn't notice a blush creeping up on her cheeks, nor the heat that radiated from it.

Neji scratched the back of his neck, and huffed out a bit of hot air. When he started to speak, Tenten squinted trying to make out what he said. She picked up on a few words, but it wasn't enough to comprehend what he was trying to convey. Neji spoke too low, and too fast for her to understand, and possibly too formally- she couldn't quite tell at the moment.

She cleared her throat, catching his attention before he could say anymore, "Sorry, make short" motioning with her hands to shape a short bracket. Neji sighed, "Me…" he pointed to himself, Tenten followed better, nodding, "…You" Her eyebrow lifted, "Japanese lessons" Neji fixed his hands like sock puppets, with his four fingers and thumb working together to make belief people talking.

Tenten got the idea, nodding her head and a smile graced her lips, "Hai, Hai!..uh…when? Time?"

Neji thought for a moment. He considered his compound but right now wouldn't be a good time. Last night he got into an argument with another one of his relatives- a Main Branch member, and as always some elders had once again, intervened. Neji would prefer the privacy of his room to educate his teammate, but he didn't think that would happen. The first thing he had to do when he got home was once again, train. That's really all he does. With the little free time Neji had…well he didn't have free time.

"Your place?" Tenten hummed at the idea. The pro- Her mom would meet her new teammate and potential customer, hoping that her mom would be easier on her. Cons- Tenten worked part-time at the store, and possibly would have to babysit her cousin after her hours of mining the store was up. There might not even be that much of a chance to study. " Don't know" she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"What do you mean you don't know? I can't take you to my place, so it'll have to be yours. Do you not want to be taught?" Neji was beside himself.

The girl took in a deep breath, and released the tension building up in her stomach. "I can not take time to study." Before Neji could intervene, she put a finger on his lips to hush him. "I help run shop. I work with mom and take care of…of….cousin. If want, walk me home- I show you."

"No. I'm not going to waste my time. Good luck on learning on your own." And with that, Neji huffed and treaded back the tree stump to collect his bag, and walked himself home without saying much of a goodbye to the rest of his team.

Tenten stood in the middle of the training field alone. Gai waved neji a goodbye and Lee glared at him when he didn't return the gesture back, and now she watched Neji walk away from them, long hair swishing left and right as he took a faster pace.

Tenten fixed her messenger bag over her shoulder, fixing the pin that kept the strap together, and observed Neji turn the corner. She huffed and went in the opposite direction.

"That boy is _rude_. " 


	2. Everyone Has a Story- Chapter Two - 'Bout time I Posted!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a story- that much is true. From the moment Tenten laid eyes on her teammates, she knew they were softies. It was only a matter of time until they all cracked.

"Gai-Sensei, are you sure you know where you're going?"

Gai wouldn't admit it, but he actually had a terrible sense of direction. Especially around this side of town, he couldn't read the characters on the signs that were displayed on the street.

"Yosh! Obviously my young pupil, you have not learned this top secret tai-jutsu training of reading in-between the lines!" Lee stared in admiration, agreeing with him and not seeming to really think about what his sensei said. Neji however, knew that for the past few months of Team Gai's outings and regular training regimes, his sensei talked 99.9% of complete and utter bullshit. The other 00.1% percent was the crucial information that Neji managed to dissect from Gai's long and arduous lectures.

"What does reading in-between the lines have anything to do with being lost? Gai-Sensei obviously doesn't know his way around here, and none of us can read Chinese." Gai's left thick eyebrow twitched in annoyance as it was now very apparent to him after four months of mentoring such a dysfunctional squad that not only can his advanced student see chakra streams and beating hearts, but also his façade.

Lee glared at the Hyuuga, quite fed up with his attitude especially under the hot sun and bustling crowds. "GAI-SENSEI IS NOT LOST," Lee pointed to Gai, "TELL HIM GAI-SENSEI!"

Neji sipped at his water and barely batted an eye at Lee, "You even asked him if he even knew where he was going."

"BUT THAT IS BECAUSE I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS TECHNIQUE OF READING IN-BETWEEN LINES."

"Obviously you don't, because if you did we wouldn't even be arguing now."

"WELL I WOULD NOT BE ARGUING RIGHT NOW IF YOU WERE NOT THE MOST ARROGANT, SARCASTIC, PESSIMISTIC BLOCK OF ICE I HAVE EVER MET!"

Neji faltered, and Lee gasped, seeming to have just realized what he said, after he yelled it out in public-of all places.

It wasn't the first time Neji heard people describe him in such a way, and usually those insults thrown at him didn't bother him. But, hearing it come from Lee- whose normally a sweet heart of sorts, always enthusiastic and never too tired to help a friend in need, using those words : Arrogant, Sarcastic, Pessimistic, and Block of Ice, actually hurt.

And normally, people have never dared to tell him such things in his face. He knew people hated him, but he didn't think that Lee actually had it in him to put it out there like that. Neji wouldn't blame him though, he did treat his teammates horribly. First refusing to help Tenten learn Japanese, and now insulting Lee's intelligence, and Gai's guidance. Now that he thought about it, he wouldn't doubt Tenten silently resenting him either. She wasn't like most girls he knew anyway- if she were more fluent in their language, she probably would have given him a piece of her mind…or the whole thing. But if Neji had to be honest, under all what he said about his team out loud, he really didn't actually dislike them. Sure, they have their quirks, but Neji found it tolerable for the most part. He really meant it that one time when Neji considered teaching Tenten because he would actually like to have someone to talk too that wasn't so green and weird- not to mention overcoming the language barrier would make their team work better in more ways than one.

Neji's speeches of destiny was really him trying to connect to his team…because that's all that is spoken of at home; A person's fate, that's all he's come to know of in his short fourteen years. If he had more time at home that wasn't catered around other people making decisions for him, or looking out for others, maybe he would have known the title of the song that blared through the speakers when he accompanied his team at grocery stores, or liked a certain style of clothing over the other, or even have a secret hobby like dancing. But he didn't, and no one really seemed to understand that, and it wasn't his fault. None of it.

Neji thinned in lips into a fine line, and breathed out through his nose, nodding, "Fine.", then promptly leaped off the ground and sped over the roof tops before Lee could say anything to make him stay, heading to god knows where.

~

 

Gai, for the first time in a long time, truly felt that he had failed. At first, he felt bad for his rival ,Kakashi, after hearing his stories of how dysfunctional his team was, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. He was so set on the idea that his cell of three adolescent teens, aspiring to the best ninjas Gai has yet to see had finally started to bond. But he had no idea that Lee was harboring that much resentment towards Neji all along. Sure, they have their fights and they have their rough-housing on the training grounds, but this time it was more serious. Gai would be blind if he did not see how Neji was attempting to bond with his team…it was just hard for him because of the kind of upbringing he had. And today, he hoped that it would have been an awesome outing. Gai had made all the plans, and scheduled everything so that Tenten could join them. All they had to do was pick up her by her mother's weapon shop, and then make their way to a restaurant nearby in the next district over. He guessed he should have admitted that he was lost- and they could've asked for directions- even if majority of people who lived in this small town in Konoha spoke Mandarin, there could have been a chance that they could have found someone who spoke decent Japanese to point them in the right direction. Gai chuckled to himself- what a team he had.

Lee's sobbing broke him out of his musings. The older man sighed, ruffled Lee's bowl cut hair, and flashed his pupil one of his infamous Colgate smiles, " Cheer up Lee!"  
"But Gai-Sensei, I said some really awful things to Neji. He was right. Neji was always right and I just can't stand him because I-". Before Lee could continue confessing, Gai pulled him into a hug. They were still currently in the middle of the market square. Civilians had seldomly stopped from their daily routines to watch the two green beasts, but they didn't care.

Gai pulled himself away from Lee, looking directly into his large deep brown eyes, "We'll find him Lee. But first, we need to go to a florist!" Lee stared blankly at his teacher, "A Florist…you mean a flower specialist? But why?"

"Because my dear student, the best way to cure a bad atmosphere is by the language of flowers! The flower says it all!" Lee still didn't get what Gai meant by these flower languages, but it sounded good at the time, plus it might help rebuild the bridge between Neji and himself.

Lee wiped the remaining tear marks and snot from his face, and mustered up his best smile, "Okay sensei, Sounds like a plan!"

 

~

Tenten hauled the large, brown paper bag with her across the street, overflowing with loafs of bread, apples, and a carton of milk. Her team was supposed to meet up with her outside her mother's shop hours ago, but no one showed up. But because of their absence, and the lack of customers on a Sunday, Tenten was sent to the local market a couple blocks down.

" I wonder if they got lost." Tenten muttered to herself. Then she shook her head. "Nah, I gave them directions…" Then her eyes widened in realization, "Shit…I wrote it in Chinese. Auuuughhh…they're gonna kill me for this" She sighed. Oh well, what was she going to do?

Tenten kept walking, watching her surroundings as another bus passed by her. So far, her current home seemed quite nice. The last place she moved too, the place was congested in smog and she didn't have anyone to talk too. It was almost always rainy, not to mention it was noisy. She was forbidden to go outside alone. But being here in Konoha was a great change for her.

Over the course of four months, Tenten became acquainted to quite a handful of people: Mrs. Usagi, The elderly woman, who lived next door and runs a small bakery right by her Mom's Antique Shop, Hiro-sensei- the civilian school teacher that all the neighborhood kids liked to hang around, Sanji and Maya, a couple of siblings who lived on the right side of her-constantly knocking on her door to ask if her cousin could come outside to play, and then there was Jin, a good looking civilian boy who Tenten became friends with first- or rather the only decent male Tenten has come across that wasn't overly-enthusiastic, green, killing machine. Being a Genin had its perks, but nothing really compared to being reminded how simple life was being with a civilian.

As Tenten turned around the corner, passing another food stand, she spotted Jin 3 meters away. From the looks of it, he was with his older sister, waiting outside of the pharmacy while his sister was in a long line by the cash register. His light brown eyes lit up when he noticed Tenten walking up to him.

"Hey Panda!" Tenten rolled her eyes, but greeted the boy anyway, "Sup Ji-Ji?"  
Jin blushed, his cheeks becoming rosy, "Oh nothing, just waiting outside. My sister is getting her girl stuff" Tenten chuckled, "Oh I see, So how have you been? Sorry I couldn't come over last week, I had a mission."

"Ohh, it's okay, and I've been pretty good. School has been pretty boring though- how was your mission though, where'd you guys go too this time?"  
Tenten mentally went back to last week, putting a finger on her chin while looking upwards in thought. She didn't notice the glazed look Jin had as he watched her intently. He admired the way her hazel eyes lit up and was enthusiastic about what she said, how she greeted people whether she knew them or not, the fact that she was her tomboyish self and didn't care about her outward image, and the overall quality that she can wield a sword better than any action movie stuntman could do. Jin secretly wished all girls at his school was more like her.

"Well, as genin, we don't go on too many dangerous trips. But last weekend we had to escort a Prince across the country and there were some bandits that tried to kill him. Man Jin, I wish you could be there, it was really awesome how Neji just jumped in and practically poked the guy to death."

And this is the part where Jin loved…and hated. He loved hearing her stories of all her trips she goes on. The more he talks to Tenten, the more he learns about Ninja life, and what they have to deal with in order to keep the village safe. The part that he hated was that every time he asked about her missions, she would never fail to mention her team mates, particularly that Neji guy. Being a part of the village for a while, Jin has heard stories about almost all the famous clans but he never been in contact with any of them. Tenten was the first real Ninja he's met in actuality.

"Oh? What's so good about poking someone to death? This Neji guy doesn't sound that impressive to me."

Tenten smacked her friend upside the head, "Oh hush! It's not as simple as you think it is."

"Sure, Hyuuga or no Hyuuga, anyone would have been able to do that. Heh, I bet he plays patty-cake with them too."

Tenten frowned, "Jin that's rude. You shouldn't talk about people like that- and besides you haven't even met him before."

Jin smirked, "Oh- I'm rude? You should tell your boyfriend to stop pushing you around so much!"

Tenten balked, eyes wide at his while accusations, "HE'S. NOT. MY. BOYFRIEND!" she yelled, stomping her feet in emphasis. "Neji is my team mate, nothing more and nothing less. I respect him, and since you are my friend, I expect you to do the same regardless if you knew him in person or not."

Jin huffed, rolling his eyes at her, and jerked his head to the right when his sister signaled for him to leave the store.

" I gotta go" was the only thing he uttered and he left her standing alone from where he was. Tenten grumbled to herself, her blush slowly receding from her face. Maybe she was wrong. Civilian life was complicated, possibly even more complicated than Ninja life.

Tenten sighed, "That was so unnecessary."

~

Unknown to Lee, Gai, or Tenten, Neji was still in the area. He thought about going back home but the more he thought about it, the more disinterested in the idea he was. If he sulked for the rest of the day at the compound, it would probably worsen his current mood. It's not like he had anyone at home to run too when he was upset, or angry, or embarrassed anymore. Besides, the whole atmosphere at the compound is actually pretty stifling. And even if he didn't necessarily know where he was going, wandering around the streets among the locals in town, Neji felt his anger gradually slipping away. Besides, if he wanted to know more about his team mate, why not explore the area she lives in?

For the first time in a while, Neji let himself relax in the company of himself. No one to pester him, no one to summon him, no one he knew personally that made him feel uncomfortable, and Neji had to admit- being alone like this was…freeing. With his opal orbs, Neji took in his surroundings, like how the mid-day sky was cluttered with shapely clouds of late October; The cool fall breeze brushing through his hair and skimming the tip of his nose and cheeks and the few maple leaves that rode the winds currents.

Just as he crossed another street intersection, his sense of smell took over and his nose led him towards a small bakery, crowded with what Neji assumed to be school children, since they were all wearing sky blue polyester shirts and khaki trousers or skirts, with their hair combed and styled appropriately. The corner of Neji's mouth turned up the slightest seeing a group of little boys and girls pestering the store owner- all getting handed a pastry sample and a cup of tea to wash down the sweets. On the opposite end of the street, Neji passed by a laundry mat where a disgruntled elderly man sat outside with the door propped open. Neji could hear the wet articles of clothing lapping inside those machines repeatedly as it went about in cycles at an agonizingly slow pace, which is probably why the elderly man appeared so grumpy. He probably had better things to do than sit and wait for hours upon hours for his cloths to finish wash. Poor guy.

As Neji proceeded to wander down the extensive road, he came across a banner in bold reflective gold lettering above what seemed to be another shop. Not that Neji understood what it said, or could even pronounce it properly, he did however recognize the lettering. Out of curiosity, he pulled out a crumbled piece of paper that he stuffed in his pocket, and compared the two. Neji hummed, "So…this is the place, huh?"

From an outsider's point of view, the shop didn't look extraordinary. Outside of this suburban town, Neji's impressions of weapon shops were more…how should he put it…presentable? Not that Neji thought that the shop was dirty, but it sure didn't give off the feeling that it was meant for weapons of bloodthirsty Ninja's. Nonetheless, Neji took his chance and opened the door. The bells jingled above him, signaling to whomever is inside that he was entering.

Neji glanced around the interior of the shop intently, taking everything in- the smell of polished steel that oozed in the room, subtle lights that illuminated the display cases of decorative Katanas along the red brick walls on the opposite end of the counter. Polished wooden floors that glistened from the natural light outside and the studio lights inside as well. There was two decorative bamboo plants near the door's entryway, one on each side of the door, and a bar stool that held a stick of incense burning in the corner of the room by the shop's window. Finally, Neji's eyes averted to a cat adorned with a custom tailored hat of the company. It was also the first one to have greeted him at the front desk. All in all, this place looked a lot better in the side than it did outside.

Neji lingered near the cat, observing its sleek features- its amber eyes staring into his pupiless pair, the little white, milk mustache and smooth ebony black coat.

"Her name is Zo", a voice uttered from the far right, breaking Neji out of his staring contest with the feline creature.

Neji straightened up his posture and gave a small smile to whom he assumed was the store owner, or even a mere employee. The woman, standing nearly an inch taller than him, gave him a warm welcoming smile- and a similar pair of hazel brown eyes were on him. Strapped on her back was a baby boy, currently knocked out, drooling from the corner of his mouth and his chubby feet dangling in mid-air. The woman appeared a little weary, possibly from a long day of work dealing with the shop and a baby.

"Oh, good afternoon ma'am." Neji bowed.

"Hello there yourself!, I'm Fei, and you must be Neji?" The woman continued to groom the cat, causing the purring mop of fur to flop on her back and stretch out from pleasure.

"I beg your pardon?" Neji wasn't quite understanding, it took him off guard that an older woman he hasn't formally met already knows him…then again, that wasn't an uncommon thing being born in an elite clan. Must've been the eyes, he figured. The woman continued to play with her cat idly as her son was in a deep snooze, not bothering to have a proper conversation with the Hyuuga.

"My daughter told me some stuff about you. Mainly that you're from a large clan and you're her teammate in this…Genin squad?" She sounded apprehensive. Neji nodded, not really minding the awkwardness of the conversation. To put it simply, he felt like a fish out of water since he stepped in this town, now he feels like he's being interrogated in the most casual way possible. Neji cursed his luck.

"Ah yes…are…do you happen to be Tenten's mother?"

"Boy, weren't you listening? I just said she was my daughter!" The Fei snapped, but then slapped the table and laughed, "Oh, don't worry, I'm just teasing ya. If there's anyone I should be mad at, it'd be your sensei. That man has no regard for people's schedules from what I hear!"

Neji sighed inwardly, and nodded along, "yeah…he can become quite a handful. My folks are also upset about this too." Upset, Neji thought, was quite an understatement. But not expressed in the open wrath as Tenten's mother- Thank god.

"Yeah, well Imma have a word with him next time when I get the chance." Fei yawned, adjusting the strap her baby hung from, and averted her attention back to her guest. "I'm sorry, I've been so caught up in my own troubles. Would you like anything to drink? Tenten should be back from the market anytime now, and you guys can go dilly dally on where you all like, I'm closing the shop early today."

Neji wasn't sure if he should be appreciative of this bit of info, or worried for his own sake. He still wasn't sure if Tenten secretly hated him, and Neji has had enough absurd confrontations today. He'd much rather go back and wander around town by himself.

"Ah, thank you ma'am, but that's quite alright." Then he paused, "Uhm…actually, there is something I want to ask you."

"If it's a discount, forget it." She chuckled.

"How…is it that you speak Japanese so well…and Tenten doesn't?" Neji hoped that this wasn't over-stepping boundaries, but heck, some things are worth asking…even if it might've been so soon.

Fei hummed. "Well aren't you straight forward?" Neji blushed faintly. He didn't know how much longer he could sub stand the teasing remarks, and it also doesn't help that this woman is so unformal. Very untraditional, if you ask him.

"Ah well, it's a long story- but the main thing is that Tenten-"

"I'm home!" the door bell sounded just in time- speak of the devil.

"Ah well, guess I'll tell you some other time. Tian-Tian, go and put the groceries upstairs, you and your friend can go out." When Fei turned her back to Neji once more to turn the shop's "open" sign to "close" Tenten made her way upstairs, not without making eye contact with him first, she even gave him a small smile.

Neji didn't detect any sort of aggression, just overall exhaustion. Neji was so preoccupied with being in Fei's company that he missed the fact that their home was actually attached to the shop. The shop, being downstairs, and their home residing upstairs and only separated by a wooden beaded curtain at the top of the stairs. Neji was tempted to peer into what the layout of their home was like upstairs using his Byakugan, but he decided not to…at least not yet.

One thing that Neji didn't fail to miss- While Fei seemed like an alright woman- there was something he felt that she was keeping from Tenten. Why, the moment Tenten walked into the shop, her mother dismissed the entire topic when she was going to explain? Neji guessed that she might not be Tenten's real mother- perhaps a clone made by Orochimaru to spy on Konoha from the inside out?! Or…simply because the conversation would have been just an overall sensitive topic?

Neji shook his head, leaning to the ridiculous, first conclusion he came up with- the likely cause.

~

After bouts of fat crocodile tears flooding the streets, bromantic waves crashing and unsolicited sunset moments later, Gai-sensei and Lee managed a bundle of flowers, possibly all of each kind of plantae species that they could buy from a vendor, and wandered around the streets in search of their missing team mate.

"Gai-sensei?"

Lee was slightly out of sorts since he argued with Neji earlier in the day. Well…in Lee's case, slightly would be over-simplifying, but devastated would be an exaggeration. In either case, Lee felt terrible. It's been a couple hours since then and day was soon becoming night. He tried to keep up his cheerful façade, but flash backs of the fight kept eating at him little by little. Even if he wasn't the only reason today's plans has gone to waste, Lee still felt responsible for what happened. Why had he suddenly said those things about Neji? All Lee knew is that sometimes, even if he isn't the type to suddenly lash out at someone without a good excuse- he just hated Neji so much, but only sometimes. Other times, Lee didn't find Neji half bad, perhaps even a friendly "rival" as Gai-sensei would put it.

To Lee, Neji was everything he wanted to be, whether it be in the context of combat, social networking, intelligence, or even romance. Neji, in Lee's round Onyx eyes, was the very definition of "Perfect". Hell, Lee would even bet money on it if someone were to look up the word "Perfect" in the dictionary, Neji's profile would appear next to it. Lee knew what he lacked- oh, he knew very well.

But, even if Lee does look up to Neji as "goals" on how to carry himself with swagger, or overall sense of charm, he couldn't get past the fact that Neji didn't know how good he has it whenever he complains about how much his life sucks.

Although, to Lee, pain is relative- and anyone wise enough to get this concept would agree with him. True, Lee didn't belong to a wealthy clan and there wasn't a lot of expectations put on him solely because of his name- and the bushy brows child would agree, that does have to suck; however, Neji didn't know what it was like to wonder where the next meal was coming from, or if he would have enough cloths to last throughout the week. Shit, that's why he even opted out of his robes for wearing the green spandex. Lee could care less about how "youthful" it made him feel, so long as it was clean and it fits, and Lee was fine with that. The more the merrier, he thought.

Lee could; however, relate to losing someone close to him with Neji. But again, Lee generally didn't see the point in holding grudges. Yes, he does hurt, but no amount of yelling and arguing was going to bring his mother back. And yes, there were times when he felt angry enough to throw tantrums and lash out his anger, but eventually Lee found that forgiving the person who committed the act isn't only to make things easier for the other person, but to make living and moving on easier for himself. Lee would always feel pain, but Neji chose to struggle. And because of that, Lee would come to pity Neji more, than resent him.

Lee huffed, blowing his straight bowl cut bangs out of his face for the umpteenth time. No amount of curry could rid the mixed emotions boiling, and growing heavy on his chest.

"For god sakes, would you stop moping, Lee!" And quite frankly, Gai was losing patience in the whole situation himself. At times like this, Gai inwardly curses himself out. For the kids, he tries to keep his cool- emphasis on try. It was a bad habit of his to blame himself unfairly for things that Gai could see, in-hindsight- preventable, much like his own pupil. 

In the end, they both felt extremely, and regrettable bad.

"Hai sensei." Even Lee's tone of voice was pitiful. Gai sighed and furrowed his brows, he hoped that they would run into Neji soon. Another moment of this, Gai could not take.

 

~

Tenten remained very quiet as she strolled alongside Neji. Internally wracking her brains for something to say and ultimately failing solely because she was afraid of the outcome. Eventually, the conclusion she came to was that at best, Neji would ignore her, and at worst…well, she didn't exactly know. Normally, Tenten was pretty good with reading peoples body language and emotions, or facial expressions- without proper Japanese, that's how she got by most of the time. But with Neji, Tenten found him unpredictable.

Sometimes, Neji would come out of his shell and attempt to have a decent conversation with her, but it was usually, "what time is it?" or "when are you off from your job, so we could train?" Job related things really, and very bland if you asked Tenten.

Now that she thought about it, what was it that Neji even liked to do outside of training and missions? Aha!, Tenten knew exactly what to say now.

"Uh…so Neji, what do you like to do? After the trainings?" Neji glanced over at Tenten momentarily, then set his gaze at the setting sun shying behind the hokage mountains in the distance. "Sleep." Well, he wasn't lying. If there's anything that Neji loves more than anything else in his short fourteen years of existence, it was sleeping.

"Sleeping?" Tenten pondered. Well, she had to admit, a good nap feels very nice now and then. Actually, Tenten wished she could have some two o'clock siestas every day.

"Hai, Sleeping. You know- the thing people do at night when they get tired and the eyes start to droop and then everything turns black for hours?"

Tenten couldn't quite catch everything he said, since Neji had a habit of speaking very fast and low, but she had a feeling he was being a sarcastic twat. Tenten bit her lip, should she be the bigger person and ignore that, or play along to get under his skin?

She devilishly decided the latter. Operation "Get wrecked Neji Hyuuga" commenced.

"Oh? Did not know such thing. Explain more?"

Neji's brow raised, Tenten could swear she saw a mischievous smirk dance across his lips. "What, Sleep?" Tenten nodded, "Yes, Sleep. What do you do for sleep?"  
Neji ignored the awkward sentence structure and debated whether or not he should answer as truthfully as he wanted too. If he chose, he could state the truth that he locks himself up in his room, reads his secret stash of adult manga he bought from Shikamaru, and if he's up to it, possibly even masturbate to the protagonists love interest then fall asleep…but that might be too much. Besides, he'll save the scandalous details later on when Tenten's Japanese is better. It'd be a waste of vocabulary for now. Neji glanced back at Tenten, a glimmer of mischief also reflected in her eyes.

"Hm, well, before I tell you, what do you do to get ready for bed, Tenten?" Neji high-fived himself mentally, believing that as fate would have it, he'd outsmart his teammate in conversational banters. Hopefully, Tenten wouldn't bother talking to him after this, and the rest of the team would go home after a long day of getting lost.

"I touch myself like a whale." The air grew thick between them, and Tenten's chest rose in victory; She had more coming up her sleeve.

The smirk on Neji's face fell instantly, and his hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose to cover his face. He can't let himself go now…but the idea of Tenten in the darkness of her room, with a curious hand reaching below the waistband of her underwear, and moaning with the aquatic shrills of a giant sea mammal couldn't leave his head.

"And I say sucky, sucky licky, licky in darkness~"

Neji couldn't even compose himself at that point, snorting into a giggling fit alongside her as they continued their path back to the entrance of the small town. "Shit, okay you win!"

Tenten, Neji concluded, was definitely a species of her own.

"Ahem, uh…It is getting dark. I think that uh…we should all go home. Find Lee and Gai-sensei, and we plan another day?" Tenten looked up to Neji, whom loosened up a bit after the joke. He seemed much more at ease, and a faint blush from laughing too hard remained on his porcelain white cheeks.

"I agree…um…Tenten?"

"Yes?"

" Thank you."

For just a moment, Tenten gazed into his eyes and for the first time witnessed the chip of ice cracking from the glacier Team Gai referred to as Neji.

The bun haired girl didn't know why Neji was thanking her, but she had a feeling it was for…well, maybe being herself? Or, perhaps Neji felt he could talk to her more easily than the rest of the team?

Whatever the reason, Tenten welcomed him anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long ; n ;
> 
> I started writing this chapter from around April or May, and it was in the middle of final exams at the time...long story short, I had forgotten about this story, but I'm back at it again, along with upcoming stories i'm writing simultaneously.
> 
> In any case, Enjoy!


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